RoverAndOut

I'm not sure, from what I've read about it, that he's going to make the starting line for DL2022 in all honesty. Guess we'll see.

This. I suspect there's been something unexpected, either a dizzy spell or a spot of high blood pressure or something that's given them pause for thought. They've told her to rest, then out of an abundance of caution (because she's the Queen), they've put her under observation for a night and done some blood tests or whatever and now she's home. Perfectly understandable for a 95-year-old. Especially one who's been as active as she has over the past few weeks. As for Covid, the only thing that's been made clear about her condition is that it's not Covid-related. But I can imagine they're keen to limit her exposure if cases continue to rise over winter.

I think with these pictures, it's not the ones who turn up that you should necessarily be worried about...

Worth noting his statement says he intends to return. I mean, we know he's not here forever and others have made similar declarations that have proved unfounded, but his statement isn't reading as 'So Long and Thanks for All the Fish'. But I suspect this will probably be his last Christmas either way. Such a shame, lovely man.

Without prematurely burying him: Maradona, Muller and Greaves gone in the last year, Cruyff, Eusebio, Best and Puskas already there: who's the best living player when Pele goes? Guess you could argue Beckenbauer maybe? But different skill set. Definitely feels like a generation is coming to an end.

No, we couldn't.

As usual you're quite right. Just checked, it was the other way round. He was previously Regions Minister but gave that up in 2001, but kept bits of the role under the Office of Deputy Prime Minister until 2006, when they were transferred to the Communitues Department, at which point he was just Deputy PM and First Secretary of State. According to wiki, Blair considered chucking Prescott as Deputy PM in 2006, and replacing him with David Miliband but it came to nothing (perhaps for the reasons suggested).

IIRC Blair removed him as Deputy PM in 2006 when his affair became public. He stayed in cabinet as Communities Secretary, where Regional Assemblies were his big pet project.

On the programme, Campbell said he received a phone call just before Blair went on Question Time in the run-up to polling day and John just said "I've walloped someone. It'll be on the news". In the car, Tony was fretting about Prezza punching a voter and wondered out loud if this meant he had to sack him, at which point the two Special Branch lads in the front turned around as if to say "You what?", clear in the belief that if someone hits you, you're entitled to hit them back. In the end, all they could respond with was "John is John".

Obviously possible, hence I simply noted his absence. But I do wonder if perhaps msc is correct that his speech isn't what it once was. Always worth remembering too that he's considerably older than the other New Labour titans. As for Beckett, I suspect it's more likely she just wasn't asked. Only room/need for so many talking heads in these programmes and she wasn't really at the heart of the New Labour reform movement in the way the others were.

Enjoying "Blair and Brown: The New Labour Revolution" (Mondays, BBC2, all episodes on iPlayer). Episode 3 covered 2000-2001 (up to and including the 2001 election). John Prescott's punch came up, and led to a good 5-minute segment discussing Prezza's role in the New Labour movement and his position as mediator between TB and GB at times of strife. The reason I mention it is the man himself hasn't featured at all. Not that this is necessarily significant, other leading Labour figures of the time are missing too (Jack Straw and Margaret Beckett to name two), but given his proximity to the main actors his absence is notable. For those interested, so far we've seen Blair, Brown, Blunkett, Milburn, a surprisingly sprightly looking John Reid, Mandelson, Michael Howard and William Hague. Plus Alistair Campbell, Ed Balls and Douglas Alexander (who were aides to Brown), and a variety of other aides and civil servants.

Don't forget the indestructible Bob Dole is somehow still alive and kicking.

Just caught up on all the excitement over the Queen's imminent exit due to being frail and unsteady. Yeah, ok. She's a 95-year-old woman and she's started using a stick, I'm astonished she's reached 95 before she needed one. Still carries the handbag too, whether there's much in it or not. As for looking unsteady at Philip's funeral, I'd challenge any 95-year-old who's just lost her husband of 70 years to look fine and dandy. At 95, anything can happen, but I don't see any reason to think she's going anytime soon.

Just caught the tail-end of Graham Norton and Dame Eileen Atkins was on and looks incredible for 87. Don't see her going anywhere for a good few years.

Back at Number 1 in the UK Singles Chart for the first time in 16 years with his collaboration with Dua Lipa, for the yoof, who can't listen to 3 whole 4-minute songs, so now consume them in a mash-up instead. *Sigh* (I don't hate it, but I don't love it). In more positive news, he becomes the first artist in chart history to have a Top 10 single in 6 different decades. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-58933279

Interesting that at the bottom of the article reporting his death, the BBC says that the murder of Jo Cox saw spending on MP's security rise from £170, 576 in 2015/16 to £4.5 million just 2 years later. I wonder what that's spent on, because as previously said, the whole purpose of surgeries is the chance to speak to your representative face-to-face.

Agreed again, I just recall people suggesting around the time of entry that they would be entering their shadow list. But the main game finished at midnight New Year's Day when the official list was published and we counted up our predictions. Those doing well now (I assume, I haven't checked) didn't do very well in the original prediction game.

Agreed, there are 2 games going on here. People playing their shadow lists against the official list and people who specifically tried to predict the Committee's picks with differing success. It's nice to see I'm in front of the Committee, but I also know, by and large, all my picks were on the Committee's radar, which is certainly not the case with a lot of the successes. But nonetheless to those doing very well.

I was going to point out that the person who gets to 1 away first never wins, thus proving your point @msc, but it turns out that is not the case! In R1, Rotten Ali was first to 1 away and went on to win (5 others moved within a hit of victory before the end though) and in R3, Banana was joint-first to 1 away with gcreptile and won (5 others, as well as gcr were within 1 hit that time, despite the speedy timeframe). The exception is R2, when Death Impends was first to 1 away. 6 more moved into contention over the next 9 months and it was one of the last to get close (me!) who ended up first across the line. So I'm the anomaly (nothing new there!). Thinking positively, your picks for the Cabinet Ministers were all in the 5 top picks overall - so you've got company thinking they're not long for the world!. Thinking negatively, you've also been 1 hit away before the finish in both R1 and R3 and didn't win. The fastest we've got from 1 hit away to a final result is 6 months, so strap in, we could have a way to go yet! At least, I hope so! 2 to go...

"Zero hours contracts at Sports Direct!" "What about public beheadings?" "Don't fucking mind about that, it's fucking miles away!"

Anybody wanting a closer look at Tom's prospects, he's doing a documentary charting his battle which will be shown on Channel 4 on Sunday night at 9pm as part of their 'Stand Up to Cancer' season. At least he is according to the advert I've just seen.

Pope Francis has confirmed he will not be travelling to Glasgow for the COP-26 summit as he had intended to, following his recent colon surgery. He had hoped to attend but did caveat it by saying 'it depends how I feel at the time'. Make of that what you will. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-58842535

It's the right place in so much as this is where to post football sackings, but since the game started (last summer) he's the third manager sacked by Watford (including Hayden Mullins who was caretaker at the end of 2019-20).

Big dose of OHMSS in this film. Particularly one iconic song.

Seems there's a lot to be said for the Hitler Youth...